Thirteen faculty and staff members of Coastal Carolina University contributed to the South Carolina Encyclopedia, a comprehensive new reference work produced by the Humanities Council and published by the University of South Carolina Press.

Charles Joyner, Burroughs Distinguished Professor of Southern History and Culture, served on the Editorial Advisory Board for the 1,077-page book. Eldred E. "Wink" Prince Jr., professor of history, was a major contributor to the project, serving as an associate editor responsible for all entries relating to agriculture.

University of South Carolina professor Walter Edgar, author of "South Carolina: A History," was the editorial director of the project, a six-year endeavor involving approximately 600 contributors, 2,000 articles and more than one million words. The book covers South Carolina history and culture from prehistory to the present day, with essays on a broad range of topics including representative people, places, industries and ideas that define the state.